Employee Spotlight: Tom Hunt, ATE Senior Underwriter
Originally published in the RAG #23 June 2019
Winner of the ‘Young Achiever of the Year’ at the Personal Injury Awards 2017, Tom works as a technical underwriter on ARAG’s After the Event portfolio, a particularly challenging niche with often high-value claims and a frequently shifting legal and regulatory landscape. Tom joined ARAG in August 2016.
During my law degree, I worked part-time with an insurer in Bristol. Seeing how law could be applied was fascinating. After graduation I carried on as an Assistant Underwriter in legal expenses which gave me new opportunities to explore the complexities of insurance.
I am now closing in on my ACII (Chartered) status and have completed my CII Award in London Market Insurance. I am now focusing more on becoming formally trained in management and leadership skills, through the ILM whilst keeping up with legal CPD through training seminars and conferences, in key areas such as clinical negligence and costs.
I work with senior lawyers to create bespoke solutions, manage the technical relationship with new and existing business partners and have oversight of all scheme performance management. I work closely with our IT department to deliver key projects, such as the launch of our new online portal for business partners. I also manage our large aggregated exposures such as GLO’s or mass claims. Leading a team of Underwriters, I am responsible for managing performance, monitoring workflow and acting as a key point of referral.
The ATE market is a challenging place, often we are required to make judgement calls on new opportunities or existing business with incomplete sets of data due to the time in which cohorts of cases take to fully develop. This has allowed me to greatly develop my core underwriting and pricing skills.
It’s a great place to work; you feel you can make a significant contribution in a supportive and enjoyable environment. We have regular social and charity events which I’m always keen to take part in, most recently I’ve taken part in Dragon Boat Racing and the Bristol 10K to fundraise for our charity of the year.
I want to help drive ARAG in maintaining its position as a leading player in the ATE market by developing market leading solutions for our business partners, particularly in light of the upcoming reforms that are on the horizon. I am motivated by continuing my professional development through formal qualifications whilst taking on further responsibility within the business. There is always something new or different when underwriting ATE business and passing on that knowledge base, as it was to me, is very rewarding.
Disclaimer - all information in this article was correct at time of publishing.
